J.K. Rowling has always done a magnificent job of
misguiding her readers. Her plot lines
are never expected, which adds to the brilliance of her work.
An example of this technique in Sorcerer’s Stone is how she leads the
reader to believe that Snape is going after the stone. She spends the whole novel foreshadowing
it. Snape hates Harry from the
beginning; he takes points from Gryffindor at any chance, appears to be jinxing
Harry during the Quidditch match, and never fails to give Harry and his friends
evil glares. As readers, we spend the
whole book paying attention to what Snape is doing and end up overlooking the
actual villain. When Quirrell appears
in the chamber at the end of the book, it comes as a complete shock.
In Chamber
of Secrets, Rowling misleads her audience about the character Draco
Malfoy. Harry and Draco have been
enemies since the first day they met in Diagon Alley. He is always finding ways to brag about his
pure family lineage while insulting anyone who isn’t from a fully magic
family. He seems the likely choice for
the heir of Slytherin. Surprisingly, Harry
and Ron find out that he is not.
These unmet expectations continue effectively throughout
the Harry Potter series. They are important because they keep the
readers wanting more. I found myself
becoming more and more intrigued, as every time I thought I knew what to
expect, I was utterly mistaken.
-Sara Ellingwood
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